Way of Life

My Portfolio Book

Hi Everyone. I finally made a portfolio book. Check it out and tell me what you think:


http://Studio239.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=4588263&AlbumKey=8QWXM

Easter Sunday.

I finally get a day off! I went home on Sunday to chill with my family in Stockton. I wanted to practice shooting with my 70-200, so I forced my family to go outside and pose for me. :-D This is my family:

Graduation Season is Here!

Hey, anyone graduating? Need cool pictures for your parents so they can pass it out to relatives and brag about how smart you are? Wanna save money? Hit me up for your grad session!

Click Here to visit my blogs to see more photos!

Fashion shoot with designer Nicole Z.

I finally got around to work on these fashion photos done to help my friend Nicole Zambolla with her portfolio. Here are some quick ones that I worked on:

Thanks for your help Will!

Buuuusted

So I went to San Jose's Santana Row to take some pictures because there are some beautiful locations and architecture there. Well, about 15mins into the shoot, I was stopped by a security guard. Apparently you can't take pictures there without a permit. Booo. Welp, I was able to sneak a few shots in. Here's my favorite:

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update 3/18/08

For the photographers out there, look at what I found. This might be helpful to you for when you run into this situation. Apparently it WAS ok for me to photograph in Santana Row.

The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography

I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space.

II. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it’s fair game.

III. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs.

IV. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security.

V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay.

VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion:

* accident & fire scenes, criminal activities
* bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports)
* industrial facilities, Superfund sites
* public utilities, residential & commercial buildings
* children, celebrities, law enforcement officers
* UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris

VII. Although “security” is often given as the reason somebody doesn’t want you to take photos, it’s rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company’s trade secrets.

VIII. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.)

IX. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you.

X. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don’t have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order.

Source: http://photojojo.com/content/tips/legal-rights-of-photographers/

Tre

The, the only Samoan I know. hahaha. We had a shoot today near the XPO house. The shoot lasted for about 15 minutes because somebody was late. ahem..Tre. We were starting to loose sun as soon as we found a cool spot to shoot. Welp, here's what we got:

Out of my Comfort Zone

Lately I've been experimenting with fashion photography. This is totally out of my comfort zone. Usually I do portraits, shooting exclusively with natural light. With these fashion type shoots, I've been using the strobist techniques, using off board lighting to light up my models. I went out and bought two sets of Nikon SB-800's and a pair of Pocket wizards (remote triggers). I'm starting to play around with these equipment and learning what my limitations are. I'm still not too sure what to think if this fashion photography thing. We'll see how it goes.





Below is one of the images from my shoot with Sophie and her models:

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This one was edited by Kate Wang.



Peep the new logo. Complements of Sophie Taylor of www.sophietaylor.com








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Update: Here's what Sophie did to that shoot we did. Great Job!